The Ultimate GORP (trail mix)?

[The Phoenix]

What do y'all think is the best trail mix? Store bought? Homemade? What do you throw into your mix?

In 2009, I experiment with several dozen different mixes. I'm a big fan of GORP, as I think it is fantastic hiker fuel and on the whole, very tasty. I'm an outside the box guy, so I'd mix things that normally don't go together.

By the end of my thru-hike, my go-to mix was Fritos, almonds (salt-free), and Lucky Charms... which were often the knockoff grocery store brand. It was an odd mix, but it worked for me. It was inexpensive, especially since I found an unopened 5 LB bag of almonds in a hiker's box somewhere in PA.

Anyhow, I am not in the same financial bind I was when I was 19, so perhaps I can dabble with a bit more "fancy" of trail mixes... any suggestions?

P.S. weight is not an issue for me personally on this subject. I usually start out with 15-20 pounds of food, which is some people's entire packs. If I find a good trail mix or food, I have no issue carrying it in bulk.

[rafe]

For what it's worth... if you live in an area that has Wegmans, they have a "gorp bar" where you can make your own. About $8 per pound or so. Many interesting ingredients to choose from -- various nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, sesame chips, M&Ms, etc.

If that's too restrictive, they have a whole aisle of bulk bins full of interesting nuts, grains, candies, chocolate, etc.

[MuddyWaters]

I like it simple. Nuts, plain mms, raisins, salt. Nothing that gets gooey in heat or makes hands sticky and prompts wiping on clothes.

[Rocket Jones]

The mix I keep coming back to is simple - peanuts, raisins, m&m's, and honey nut cheerios.

[Feral Bill]

I used to use 1 lb raisins, 1 lb M and Ms, and 6 ounces cashews. Now I tend to carry separate and varying snack foods.

[RangerZ]

Equal parts peanuts and cashews (whole and halfs better than halfs and pieces), raisins, peanut M&Ms, dried pineapple and mango. After last hike I’m adding an extra part of dried pineapple and peanut M&Ms. That’s what I wanted and cherry picked out of the mix.

[tarantolk]

I spent the summer in Alaska and I pretty much lived on Kirkland (Costco) trail mix. Surprisingly it's my favorite mix, nothing special.

[rafe]

I spent the summer in Alaska and I pretty much lived on Kirkland (Costco) trail mix. Surprisingly it's my favorite mix, nothing special.

I've never had one (Costco/Kirkland trail mix) that wasn't fresh and tasty.

[BirdBrain]

2oz of each of these per day.

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-comparison.php?o=12632&t=12585&h=19151&s=&e=&r=

[bigcranky]

Our basic starter mix is cashews, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. It's great all by itself.

Add other kinds of dried fruit -- cranberries, tart cherries, dried strawberries, home dried figs, etc. Add dried sweetened coconut from Trader Joe's. Substitute dark chocolate M&Ms in the summer. Add other nuts - my partner likes almonds -- or sunflower seeds or pepitos. We sometimes add homemade granola.

I love gorp on the trail.

[rocketsocks]

Good ol' raisins and wasabi peas w/ peanut M&M's

[garlic08]

I don't mix them up, but I always have separate bags of salted cashews and raisins. I can select what I need to eat most--a quick fruit sugar boost or some slower-acting fat and protein, or a proportionate mix of both. Last time I even looked at premixed trail mix, I noticed the price per pound was greater than any single component.

[Dogwood]

Unsweetened coconut flake is tasty, high in cals, has a good chewy texture, can be added to anything or be eaten by itself ON THE GO, and IS CHEAP. I advise buying from bulk bins at places you trust move product regularly or seek out unsweetened coconut from Edwards&Sons or Bob's Red Mill. Toasted coconut flake(Chips) although pricier are an increasing part of my trail foods and at home Smoothies. EASY to toast and flavor raw coconut chips yourself saving $ significantly. I do the same making my own Kale Chips at home in the oven.

Nuts are common to trail mixes but don't forget about seeds too such as: sunflower, pumpkin, chia, hemp, flax , sesame, pomegranate, wheat germ(yes a seed too), etc. These are EASY to find with a minimal amount of seeking. Can get shelled flax(in the form of flax meal), hemp(shelled FRESH hemp seed is usuyally found), and sesame seed for those who have digestive issues such as diverticulitis. Quinoa(it's actually a seed!) and amaranth(yes another nutritious seed) are also used in my trail foods. I look for raw unroasted sprouted nuts and seeds for hiking m,ost of the time wotiout added sugar although some herb coatings are quite tasty and nutritious. I'll also sprout various seeds while hiking. *NOTE: sprouted nuts and seeds contain TWICE AS MUCH NUTRITION than when non sprouted!

[misprof]

Almonds, coconut flakes, raisins, craisins, chopped dates and m&ms or dark chocolate pieces.

[russb]

I use: walnuts, cashews, raisins, dark chocolate peanut m&ms, sesame stix. I also carry a fruit gorp bag with dried pineapple, mango, papaya, blueberries. I found myself picking out fruit add to things like oatmeal, so keeping them separate saves a bit of time when I do that.

[Viper2016]

My "go-to" is equal weight of M&Ms, raisins, cashews (salted or unsalted, varies on my cravings), and "candy corn." Candy corn appears to be mostly honey. Doesn't get sticky in heat. Add dried coconut flakes for fiber and extra sweet. My kids like coconut, not me.

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